I graduated from nursing school last May and have been working on a very busy med-surg floor. The problem I am having is that I despise it. I don’t know what to do. I hate everything about it and I don’t know if I just hate nursing or I hate this particular job.

I end up riddled with anxiety and depression when I leave work and I don’t sleep well worrying about this. What do I do?
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You sound really miserable hon. I wouldn’t stay in a job that I hated that much. Since this is your first job it’s hard to say whether it’s just that you hate the job you are working or you hate nursing altogether. Nursing isn’t for everyone.

But I have a feeling that you just need to switch to a different specialty and you may find that you love it. Did you feel like you hated it when you did your clinical rotations? If there is something else that you’d rather do then do it. Life is too short to be miserable

Nursing can be difficult, especially when you’re a newbie. I would try to pinpoint exactly what you hate about it. Sit down and get a piece of paper. On one side write positives and on the other write negatives of the job. Maybe this will help you figure out what you may be better suited to. The great part of nursing is that you can hop on over to another specialty if you hate the one you’re in…Good luck!

When you’re a new nurse there are so many things that can throw you into anxiety. Your skills are not honed in yet and you don’t know your coworkers very well. It can be really frightening to not be under the wing of your clinical instructors anymore but instead, rely on yourself. That can be a daunting feeling.

The whole time you’re in nursing school you can’t wait to get out on your own and when you finally do it can be very scary.

I can really relate to what you’re feeling right now. I felt the same way when I started my first job. I was was very overwhelmed. I used to cry all the time on my way home from work and sometimes in the bathroom during my shift. I felt the exact same way in my first RN job. I was on a fast-paced surgical inpatient floor where I worked 12 hour nights. I cried before my shift, after my shift, and on my days off. I would sit in the parking lot and have to give myself a pep talk to walk into the building.

Try to make friends with your coworkers. They have can help you more than anything and will have your back if you need them.
If you stick it out it will get better. it usually does. feeling insecure about your skills can have a negative effect on you. When you feel like you are unsure about skills it can make you a nervous wreck. After all, if you make a mistake it can be your license.

Take advantage of your coworkers, by asking them questions and soaking up what they know as much as possible.

It will get better and you’ll get more comfortable. Good luck to you! We’ve all been there.